Lentil and Wild Rice Stew

So I decided to post twice tonight since the next few days are going to be CRAZY busy with work and holiday parties. It has gotten REALLY cold here in Boston. The past few weeks have been so nice and now I'm leaving the house with a hat and gloves every day! The one great thing about cold weather is that you crave soup. This weekend, I wanted lentil soup so badly I decided to come up with a new version!

This stew (or soup or stewp, whatever you want to call it) is super simple and very tasty. Lentils, wild rice, and some veggies combine for a filling meal that is light and healthy. The holidays can overwhelm you with indulgences, sometimes its nice to just enjoy a simple meal that isn't filled with calories, fat and/or salt. I also love this recipe because it makes ample leftovers that heat up nicely in the microwave.

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Kale Chips

It's no secret that I LOVE kale. This versatile cruciferous veggie is so nutrient dense and filling, it has become my go to salad green. I  keep some chopped up in my fridge at all times. Anyway, thanks to a suggestion by my awesome Grandma Jackie, I decided to make some kale chips. These are a simple and healthy snack you can serve or bring to holiday parties. You can use any type of kale to make chips, but I recommend lactino or dinosaur kale, which has a wider, flatter leaf than curly kale.

There are many variations you can create. I seasoned mine with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika, but I am envisioning many different flavor combos and themes. What I loved most about these chips is that they satisfied my craving for something salty and crunchy and were extremely low in calories.

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Cranberry Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been in quite the cookie baking mood lately! This weekend I was experimenting with a few different varieties and fell in love with this combination. Tart cranberries and dark chocolate? Yes please! Such an easy variation on classic chocolate chip. I learned everything I know about making great chocolate chip cookies from America's Test Kitchen. I used their techniques in this recipe and the cookies come out great. I find the technique of browning the butter and letting it dissolve the sugars makes a tremendous difference. If you haven't tried this you must. Brought these to work and they were a huge hit!

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Healthy Almond Chicken Fingers - Cooking for the Week

Like most people, I love crispy, salty and greasy chicken fingers. They taste delicious washed down with a beer at a ballpark. They are not, however, a healthy everyday choice. So I decided to develop a version that would be healthy, simple and have a nice crunch. This is the perfect make ahead recipe for the week because these chicken fingers will last 3-4 days in the fridge and can be used to make a whole bunch of different meals. I made a double batch, threw them in some tupperware and will be using them to top my salad for lunch tomorrow. I also make great wraps and sandwiches with these and 2 minutes in the microwave will heat them up for dinner. Taking around 30 minutes to make, these are filling, protein packed and super tasty. Once you've got a batch of these in the fridge, you don't have to worry about adding protein to your meals.

I recently discovered almond meal, in a failed attempt to make macarons (don't ask, it was a train wreck). Having bought a big bag, I was thinking through some different uses for it, aside from baking. Turns out, it is a protein rich, gluten free way to bread tasty chicken fingers! Now, I mixed it with whole wheat breadcrumbs and panko to add some texture, but you could coat these entirely with almond meal and be totally satisfied. I created a tangy spice mix to flavor the breading mixture and you can certainly add some additional spices if you like.

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